When speaking with Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond on Monday, Sporting News pointed out that, in the four drafts he has spent in Milwaukee, he had pulled off a major trade during draft week in each of them. He said he doubted this draft would be the fifth straight, but he did caution, “Never say never.”

On Wednesday, the Bucks did, in fact, make a move, though Hammond stresses it is significantly different than the trades that were made in past draft weeks, which were focused not only on reconfiguring the team’s roster, but also on easing salary concerns inherited from the previous regime. By sending the No. 12 pick, point guard Shaun Livingston and big men Jon Leuer and Jon Brockman to Houston for the No. 14 pick and Sam Dalembert, the Bucks made a trade was not at all financially-driven, but strictly designed to fill the team’s frontcourt hole.

Dalembert is no match for a healthy Andrew Bogut, who Milwaukee traded to Golden State for Monta Ellis in March, but he is an above-average starter. The Bucks could waive him and save $5.2 million (only $1.5 million of his contract is guaranteed), but again, this was not a trade motivated by economics. The Bucks now have two defensive-minded big men (Dalembert and Ekpe Udoh) to go with offensively-adept Drew Gooden and still-developing Larry Sanders.

The big question remains the Bucks’ ability and willingness to sign Ersan Ilyasova to a lucrative new deal, but even without Ilyasova, Milwaukee no longer has to use its lottery pick to go after a big man. The Bucks now have flexibility and can address their need for shooting by drafting someone like Terrence Ross or Jeremy Lamb.

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On the flip side, the Houston Rockets continue to collect pieces in hopes of coming away with a star player. Dwight Howard tops their wish list, but Houston could also resurrect their pursuit of Lakers power forward Pau Gasol. It’s been reported that those talks are dead, but a league source tells Sporting News, “Things like that never really die.”

The Lakers, seeking to scale back on salary, would like to get into the first round of this draft—they had talks, a source said, with Minnesota about the No. 18 pick the Rockets acquired on Tuesday. Offering teams Metta World Peace, it seems, isn’t getting the Lakers very far.

Still, there seems to be a fit somewhere for a Houston-L.A. deal. The Lakers were rebuffed on point guard Kyle Lowry—the guy they want most—during the year, and though the Rockets have been more amenable to dealing Lowry, there is nothing on the Lakers roster, including Gasol, that warrants giving up Lowry. At the same time, a deal built around the No. 12 pick isn’t going to get a deal for Gasol done.

Houston has had talks with Golden State about the No. 7 pick, and with Sacramento about No. 5, and those discussions could be revisited. Sources around the league, though, are of the opinion that Sacramento won’t trade the fifth pick.

Getting a deal based on the No. 7 pick for Gasol could be the Rockets’ best hope of bringing in the big man they’ve long sought.

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So what do the Oklahoma City Thunder, who seem to have the Western Conference by the neck for the next couple of years, look to do in this draft? Trade up, of course. Way up—all the way to No. 2 or 3, where they would draft Florida guard Bradley Beal.

At least, that is what Beal told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz Wednesday in New York. Beal said he spoke with Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who scouted Beal throughout the year. “He told me he was going to decide what they’re going to do and considered getting up there,” Beal told Katz.

It might be a nice thought for Beal, who would probably replace James Harden in the Thunder rotation, but it’s a longshot. Harden is still on his rookie contract and would be difficult to trade because he is due an extension—the only reason the Thunder would consider trading him in the first place. The Bobcats, picking second, probably would not be able to take on Harden because they just acquired Ben Gordon from Detroit. But the Wizards, at No. 3, have been rounding out their roster with veteran players and would be open to adding a guy like Harden to their starting five.

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Forward Perry Jones was not invited to the NBA’s green room on draft night, an indication that he has most likely slipped out of the lottery. A source, however, describes Jones as “confident” that he will be drafted in the top 20, with Boston’s two picks at No. 21 and 22 being his floor.